Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Has Photo Session with Participants in Ninth GFTUK Congress

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and President of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), had a photo session with the participants in the Ninth Congress of the General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea (GFTUK) on May 14.

The venue of the photo session was filled with great excitement and joy of the participants who took part in the significant congress held amid the great interest of the working people across the country out in the struggle for a new stage of transformation in socialist construction and had the highest honor and happiness they wished for even in their dreams.

When Comrade Kim Jong Un arrived at the venue, a stormy cheers of "Hurrah!" burst out.

All the participants paid the highest tribute to him, who respectfully put forward our working class and trade union members as the core unit of the revolution and self-reliant vanguard and bestowed deep trust and love on them so that they could demonstrate the proud honor of the socialist patriotic workers in the van of the struggle for national prosperity.

Comrade Kim Jong Un met and congratulated the newly elected chairman and vice-chairmen of the 9th Central Committee of the GFTUK. And he appreciated the efforts of the meritorious trade union officials and members.

Acknowledging the enthusiastic cheers of the participants, he encouraged them who glorified the Ninth Congress of the GFTUK as a significant occasion for demonstrating cohesion and revolutionary disposition of our working class and trade union members rallied close around the Party and accelerating the all-people advance for implementing the Party's decisions.

He said that in the last five years after the Eighth Congress of the GFTUK, our working people fully demonstrated their intense loyalty to the Party, patriotic consciousness and inexhaustible creativity. He highly appreciated that the outstanding feats of the working class, who broke precedents, went beyond limitations and proved that anything is possible to push ahead with the overall socialist construction, and the role of the GFTUK in mobilizing the ideological power served as a great strength for the Party which ushered in the great pioneering period of the comprehensive rejuvenation.

He stressed that there is no such group in the world as the reliable and loyal working class as they firmly defend the cause of the Party, being a fortress of unshakable faith no matter how frequently the times are changed and a generation is replaced by a new one. He added that the Party Central Committee is vigorously waging the struggle of new-stage transformation for the eye-opening development of the state, believing in the strong revolutionary disposition and patriotic loyalty of all the working people including the heroic workers.

The period of gigantic transformation facing us requires the constant active vanguard role of the working class, the main force of creation and construction, and their extraordinary efforts, he said, stressing that it is the basic task facing the working class and trade union members at the present stage of socialist construction to give fuller play to the fighting spirit of self-reliance and self-sufficiency in all spheres of ideology, technology and culture with

absolute confidence in the Party's lines and policies.

Noting that all the workers and trade union members should play a vanguard role for the change of times and dynamically lead the whole country to attain the new five-year goal under the uplifted banner of the three revolutions, he emphasized that it is important for the GFTUK to fulfill its mission and duty as an organization for ideological education in firmly preparing them as a revolutionized and patriotic core force for national development and powerful vanguard for carrying out the three revolutions.

He expressed expectation and belief that all the participants in the congress would become standard-bearers and core elements leading the rapid development of all sectors and units in the worthwhile struggle to build a powerful and prosperous country through more fierce, innovative and determined struggle, and had a meaningful photo session with them.

When the photo session was over, the participants broke into enthusiastic and thunderous cheers, representing the faith and pledge of the working class and trade union members to remain boundlessly loyal to the leadership of the Party.

All the participants made a firm determination to fully demonstrate the self-respect, pluck, resourcefulness and courage of the heroic DPRK working class, socialist workers, and more vigorously struggle for the prosperity of our glorious country and the promotion of the wellbeing of our people, bearing in mind the great trust shown by Comrade Kim Jong Un.

Congratulatory Letter of C.C., WPK to Ninth Congress of GFTUK

The Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) sent a congratulatory letter to the participants in the Ninth Congress of the General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea (GFTUK) and the workers and trade union members across the country on May 11.

In the letter, the WPK Central Committee said that the period under review of the GFTUK is shining with the pride and honor of the trade union organizations and their officials and workers who have injected vigor and vitality into the advance of the Korean revolution by turning out as one to live up to the expectation of the Party Central Committee which put them forward as the vanguard unit in the struggle for fresh upswing and development of socialist construction.

The atmosphere of performing collective feats to attain the 12 major goals of national economic development and fulfill the five-year plan was given further momentum and a steady upsurge took place in the struggle to implement the decisions of the Party Congress as the organizations at all levels and officials of the GFTUK vigorously organized mass patriotic movement while focusing on the fresh education to enhance the political consciousness of the trade union members and enlist their spiritual strength at production sites, the letter said, and went on:

The heroic struggle of workers at the Ryongsong Machine Complex to keep the pledge they made before the Party without fail through perseverance for the honor of the working class of the new generation created the Chollima spirit of the new era, and the dynamic drive for increased production and creation of the workers in the field of building materials including the workers of the Sangwon Cement Complex, who broke the highest records every year, has made a great contribution to boosting the enthusiasm for a leap forward across the country and bringing about eye-opening changes in the capital city and regional

areas.

Thanks to the ardent patriotic loyalty and sincere efforts of the workers in the coal-mining industry, who turned out in the socialist patriotic movement for increased coal production, and other workers in the key industry sectors and light industry sector, the foundations of the self-supporting economy could be consolidated and the validity and vitality of the Party and state policies for the people and the rising generation clearly demonstrated despite the unprecedented difficulties.

In the fields of science, education, public health, literature and arts, too, our working people made achievements in putting the national economy on a modern and IT basis and bringing about a radical improvement in education and public health in the new century and brought good results for promoting the people's wellbeing and civilization, thus making a positive contribution to ushering in a new era of progress and development.

The workers and trade union members in the field of munitions industry have made a great contribution to firmly consolidating the national defence capabilities by achieving outstanding successes one after another in the production of cutting-edge military hardware as planned and intended by the Party.

The steadfast revolutionary spirit of devoting oneself to the self-reliant and hard-fought struggle for increased production with the unshakable faith in socialism served as a powerful motive force for demonstrating the new heyday of the DPRK and a precious asset for building a rich country with a strong army, and gave great strength and encouragement to the WPK which is leading the socialist cause, overcoming all obstacles and challenges.

The struggle of new stage to make the period of unprecedented upturn in the state development lead onto a period of steady upswing requires the working class, the main force of socialist construction, to enhance their vanguard role in all spheres of ideology, technology and culture and bring about a radical improvement in the fighting efficiency and mode of activities of the GFTUK.

It is the basic task facing the GFTUK at present to prepare its members and workers to be revolutionized and patriotic core force capable of more dynamically leading the great new era for national development and the powerful vanguard for carrying out the three revolutions.

The GFTUK, as an organization for ideological education both in name and reality, should direct primary efforts to the ideological and spiritual growth of the workers and its members and conduct all its work with the main emphasis on training them to be the masters of the new era with high creativity and cultural and moral traits.

All its members should bear in mind the Party's intention to further intensify the transformation of the society on a revolutionary and working-class pattern, make deliberate efforts to equip with the features and traits befitting the advanced class and play the role of standard-bearer in establishing a revolutionary and sound atmosphere throughout the country.

Trade union organizations should establish a cultured way of production and life at the level of the new era and conduct mass sports activities and mass art activities briskly so that every worksite bubbles over with revolutionary optimism and great enthusiasm and the working class continues to glorify their honor as the creators of advanced culture.

The new five-year plan period is a very important time when the patriotic enthusiasm and execution power of the working class and trade union members, who are very faithful to the

cause of the Party and state and their responsibility as the eldest son of the country, should be redoubled.

Trade union organizations should ensure that the working class and trade union members turn out as one to perform proud feats and make miraculous successes from the first year of implementing the decisions of the Ninth Congress of the WPK, bearing deep in mind the importance and significance of duties of their sectors and units in the course of the development of the new stage.

The success in strengthening the GFTUK depends on the role of its officials. In particular, only when a change is made in the ideological consciousness, work style, qualifications and traits of the officials of the GFTUK Central Committee and the provincial, city and county committees of the GFTUK, can the overall work of the GFTUK be conducted vigorously with fresh vigour.

In the present era, when we can develop non-stop only by a new leap forward and miraculous increased production, the Party's expectation for the GFTUK is very great.

The WPK Central Committee in its congratulatory letter said that it is confident that all the working class and trade union members will fully demonstrate their honor as the most thoroughgoing champion and implementer of the Party's policies and core unit of socialist construction in the future struggle for carrying out the new five-year plan just as they brought about a change of the new era to be specially recorded in the history, true to the Party's leadership.

Ninth Congress of General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea Held

The Ninth Congress of the General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea (GFTUK) was held here on May 11 and 12.

The congress analyzed and reviewed in depth the work done by the GFTUK during the period under review and discussed the practical tasks and ways for the federation to fully discharge its mission and role as an ideological education organization in implementing the decisions of the Ninth Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea by radically improving its work as required by the era of comprehensive development.

Present there were the members of the 8th-term GFTUK central leadership and delegates elected by trade union organizations at all levels.

Officials of the Party, armed forces organs, ministries and national agencies and those concerned were on hand as observers.

The platform was taken by Kim Jae Ryong and Ri Il Hwan, members of the Presidium of the Political Bureau and secretaries of the WPK Central Committee, Ju Chang Il, member of the Political Bureau and secretary of the C.C., WPK, Kim Tok Hun, member of the Political Bureau of the C.C., WPK and first vice-premier of the Cabinet, executive members of the C.C., GFTUK, chairpersons of the provincial committees of the GFTUK, exemplary trade union officials and members and officials in charge of the trade union work of armed forces organs.

The congress elected the presidium and the secretariat.

The agenda items discussed at the congress are as follows:

1. Review of the Work of the Central Committee of the General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea

2. On the Revision of the GFTUK Rules

3. Election of the Central Leadership of the GFTUK

Kim Jae Ryong read out a congratulatory letter of the Central Committee of the WPK to the participants in the Ninth Congress of the GFTUK and all the workers and trade union members across the country.

The WPK Central Committee in the letter said that the period under review of the GFTUK is shining with the pride and honor of the trade union organizations and their officials and workers who injected vigor and vitality into the advance of our revolution by turning out as one to live up to the expectations of the Party Central Committee which put them forward in the vanguard of the struggle for fresh upswing and development in socialist construction, and highly appreciated their responsible and devoted efforts for it.

The period of the new Five-Year Plan is a very important period when the patriotic enthusiasm and practical ability of the working class and trade union members, who are intensely loyal to the cause of the Party and the state and their responsibility as the eldest son of the country, should be redoubled, the letter said, indicating the basic tasks and ways for the GFTUK in inspiring the working people to perform proud feats from the first year of implementing the decisions of the Ninth Congress of the WPK.

Ri Won Jong, chairman of the Central Committee of the GFTUK, made a report on the first agenda item.

The reporter reviewed the work of the 8th-term GFTUK Central Committee.

He referred to the fact that the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un put forward the working class and trade union members as the vanguard and backbone unit that are taking the lead in ushering in a new era of upsurge for the comprehensive national prosperity and developed the GFTUK into an ideologically pure and organizationally integrated entity for the past five years.

He noted that a great upsurge in production has been brought about and unprecedented successes achieved in increasing production in the major fields of implementing the Five-Year Plan set forth by the Eighth Congress of the WPK thanks to the patriotic devotion and extraordinary creativity of the working class and trade union members.

He said that true to the intention of the Party Central Committee to prepare the GFTUK to be a revolutionary organization by preserving its nature as a mass political organization of the working class, the GFTUK has attached importance to its internal work and raised a strong wind of enhancing its fighting efficiency and strengthening its primary organizations.

All the successes achieved during the period under review are the brilliant fruition of the wise leadership of the respected Comrade General Secretary Kim Jong Un who led our workers in every aspect of their work to remain faithful to the historic mission they assumed before the Party and the country, the times and the revolution, the reporter stressed.

He called for bringing about a radical improvement in the GFTUK work as required by the era of comprehensive development.

The report analyzed and reviewed a series of deviations revealed by trade union organizations at all levels during the period under review and their causes on the basis of detailed data and indicated practical ways for putting the GFTUK work on the track of new qualitative development.

The reporter called for more dynamically conducting the revolutionary mass movement, the socialist patriotic movement to arouse the enthusiasm, initiative and ingenuity of the trade union members and make miracles and innovations on all fronts of economic construction.

Speeches were made on the first agenda item.

20 delegates including Kong Un Chol, delegate of the trade union organization of South Hamgyong Province, Ri Kwang Dok, delegate of the trade union organization of the Pyongyang Construction Commission, and Kim Yong Chol, delegate of the trade union organization of the Ministry of Railways made speeches and presented written speeches.

The congress discussed the revision of the GFTUK Rules as its second agenda item.

There was a report on the revision of the trade union rules.

The reporter submitted the revised rules for deliberation at the congress.

The congress adopted a decision on the revision of the GFTUK rules with full approval.

The congress discussed the election of the Central Leadership of the GFTUK as the third agenda item.

First, the Central Committee of the GFTUK was elected.

All the candidates were elected members and alternate members of the GFTUK Central Committee with the unanimous approval of the delegates.

The First Plenary Meeting of the Ninth Central Committee of the GFTUK was held.

Ju Chang Il, secretary of the Central Committee of the WPK, made public a decision of the plenary meeting.

The Executive Committee of the GFTUK Central Committee was elected.

Ri Won Jong was elected chairman of the Central Committee of the GFTUK and Choe Jong Chol, Choe Song Nam, Pak Yang Thae and Kim Song Ho were elected vice-chairmen.

The Organizing Committee of the Central Committee of the GFTUK was formed.

The chairperson, vice-chairpersons and members of the Central Inspection Commission of the GFTUK were elected.

Department directors of the Central Committee of the GFTUK were appointed.

The congress elected a committee for drafting the decision of the congress with members of the newly elected ninth-term central leadership of the GFTUK, and the committee deliberated the realistic and constructive opinions raised by delegates and supplemented the draft decision.

The decision of the Ninth Congress of the GFTUK was adopted with unanimous approval.

A letter of pledge to the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un was adopted at the congress.